Dietrich College News

January 2012

2012 Martin Luther King, Jr. Writing Awards

Poetry: High School

Honorable Mention

My Brothers
Madeline Smith
9th grade, Pittsburgh CAPA

The big coffee-colored hands
of my brother ruffled my
dark brown hair, pulled back
into a knot of a ponytail, the
best a girl of six could do. I
smiled up at them, jumping as the
chain net rattled when the ball
smacked the faded backboard.

My blue basketball shorts
matched Carl’s and swished
around my legs as I dodged Flay
dribbling a basketball out of
his reach. They let me win.
I patted their warm backs,
not noticing how my hand
seemed to appear whiter than
a seashell tossed about rough
waves, sanded down and drained
of color, against their
cocoa skin.

Gilbert grinned, his teeth
white as snow against his
mocha skin. I leaned
against the stone wall with
blue paint peeling, and I
screamed his name. Sweat
dripped from his face,
soaking his shirt and he was
gasping for breath. My brothers
played hard.

We ate greens and
fried chicken; they let
the grease stain my white
T-shirt that hung down to
my knees. We laughed and
talked loud, smashed next
to each other on an old sagging
couch like mashed potatoes,
as the football game played
like thunder into the night. Hot
Cheetos were dipped in
ranch along with pizza as
fries found hot sauce,
again and again.

Duct tape held
our sneakers together
that were piled at the
door and tripped on every
time someone entered.
No one moved them,
it wasn’t something to
get rid of, but something to
add to.

As my Dad added to the
pile of shoes, someone
laughed, “Pastor Matt,
you the blackest white
man.” He laughed and
slapped skin with
them all. It was said in love,
that I knew. But what
did it mean?

Dietrich College News: October 2014
Features this month include CMU's genetics research, using game theory as a parenting strategy, alumni news, photos from events and much more. Read Dietrich College News.

Research Team Identifies 33 Genes That Contribute to Autism Risk
The list of genes identified with autism has expanded from nine to 33, according to a new study by an international research team led by the Autism Sequencing Consortium (ASC), including Carnegie Mellon University's Kathryn Roeder and the University of Pittsburgh's Bernie Devlin. Read more.

Former Justice Souter Makes Case For Humanities and Social Sciences
Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter discussed the central role the humanities and social sciences play in seeding innovation and perpetuating democracy during a recent visit to Carnegie Mellon University. Read more.

Student Writing Awards Seek Entries From Pittsburgh-Area Students
High school and college students are invited to submit poetry and prose entires for the 16th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Writing Awards. Read more.

Four Dietrich College Graduates Receive Fulbright Awards
From addressing clean water shortages in urban Mexican communities to teaching English in Brazil, Germany, Montenegro and Turkey, five recent CMU graduates – four from the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences – will be making a global impact through this year’s Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Read more.

Mapping the Future of the Humanities and Social Sciences
Carnegie Mellon University — which has a long history of the humanities and social sciences collaborating with other fields to solve problems — and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences held the first Pittsburgh-area discussion of the "Heart of the Matter" report and its implications for improving education and creating a sustainable global society. Read more. Watch the video. View photos.